Corsair Strafe RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review

Corsair Strafe RGB Mechanical Keyboard: Testing & Results

Keyboard reviews are going to be mostly subjective in nature. The most important factors are: does it work, and how well – are there any major issues, or will it just come down to preferences. Testing of the Corsair Strafe RGB MX Silent lasted over two weeks in a large variety of tasks: typing large papers; web browsing; media playback, including listening to music; gaming, including the use of the macro capabilities; photo editing; and other real-world scenarios. Testing included loading multiple profiles, updating firmware, and running through every single key and feature on this keyboard repeatedly. Testing was done to ensure this keyboard does provide full key rollover as advertised. If a keyboard works well, the only other qualifiers available to people are the looks and the feel of a keyboard.

Corsair Strafe RGB Mechanical Keyboard: Results

Everyday & Working Use:

The Corsair Strafe RGB MX Silent is average in width for a full 10-key numpad. The height is increased due to the key switches being so close to the surface; they aren't quite flush, but they are not buried either. The keyboard is longer than some due to the design, as some keyboards end where the groove runs along the top. This could have been prevented had Corsair opted to put the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock LEDs, and Brightness and Windows Lock buttons where the Corsair logo is above the numpad. But the added length is only about 23mm, or roughly 7/8 in; really not a concern for most people, plus the groove can be used to hold things, including note cards and disks.

If you have a spouse, roommates, friends or family (maybe even nearby neighbors), and they have had to hear you type on any of the other Cherry mechanical switches, they may thank you greatly for using the MX Silent key switches. Sound is greatly reduced with the MX Silent Reds versus the original Reds. In the past, if you wanted a quieter Cherry switch, you had to install o-rings on each key cap. Not a huge deal breaker, but definitely not convenient – you had to buy the o-rings and then pull each cap off. The other option would be to learn to not fully press each key, only getting to the actuation point, but this can be difficult for some to learn on key switches such as the Cherry Reds, which do not have tactile feedback to let you know when you have reached that actuation point. On the first day of use, the MX Silent Reds felt a little bit stiffer/mushier than my older Cherry Red-equipped keyboard, but after a day or two, I was used to the feeling. It appears that this feeling is likely due to my tendency to bottom out the keys, and thus working against the impact absorbers. After working on reducing the distance I pushed keys, it felt roughly the same.

Gaming:

I do not regularly play MOBA games, so I used some of the MOBA key caps to add to the FPS setup. The FPS key cap set only includes W, A, S, and D, so I added Q, E, R, and F. Most games I play use those keys and more (such as C for crouch). My only gripes here are that it can feel odd when resting your fingers preparing to type on a keyboard with these installed, and Corsair didn't include anything to store the extra key caps in – I suggest a sealable plastic bag to hold the key caps and puller tool. Do I think the key caps make you a better player? Not really. But it does make it easier to find where your fingers need to be in-game, and the exaggerated contours might make it somewhat easier to press multiple keys with the same fingers. Due to the amount that I usually type, I don't keep these kind of key caps on for long, but the Corsair key caps weren't so aggressive that I couldn't get used to typing on them.